An integrated circuits (IC) includes various device cells each with certain function. Those cells may be surrounded by a guard ring to provide consistent working environment to the devices in the IC cells. The existing guard ring structures experience various issues or concerns. For example, the guard ring includes dummy gates and source/drain features formed with the dummy gates to constrain the source/drain formation. However, the dummy gates are constrained to follow the gate design rule, such as the spacing between the gate ends, therefore increasing the size of the guard ring and reducing the circuit area. Further, the dummy gates also increase the gate density, which further leads to high manufacturing risk, such as CMP dishing or erosion. It is therefore desired to have an integrated circuit structure, and the method making the same to address the above issues.